"We each walk a different path and we are each shaped by our past experiences.  Each of us has experienced some sort of tragedy or heartache in our lives but it is often what we take from it that makes the most impact on how we live.

Some folks choose to live with bitterness whether it is towards those who have wronged them or towards God.  This bitterness eats away at them and robs their peace and their joy.

Some folks choose to apply a Band-Aid in the hopes that their pain will go away – but it never does and they are left with a feeling of emptiness and hopelessness.

Then there are those who trust in the Lord and believe that He has set their feet upon their current path and they are going to follow Him, no matter the cost.

I like to think of myself as ‘one of those people’.  I certainly have my share of times when I trust in myself, but I have learned that the Lord doesn’t send us down a path for no reason.  Often, He sends us down a path so that we can turn around and help others who come along behind us.

Suddenly, through our own pain, we are blessed.  The love that the Lord has for us becomes more vivid and through the ache of our heart and the sting of our tears, we can feel His comforting embrace.

We often don’t know why we may experience pain and tragedy but we have to trust in the Lord.  We serve a mighty God, a good God and a loving God.  He truly desires the best for us – but sometimes His plan doesn’t make us happy.  We simply have to realize that we may not understand His ways but if we are to have true peace and joy (not the same as happiness) we have to trust Him and yield our will to His.

This afternoon as I was reading in my Bible the Lord spoke to me in such an awesome way.  I started reading in Ecclesiastes 7, and while I enjoyed the whole passage, verse 3 really blessed me: “Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.”

Life isn’t all about happiness and pleasure (laughter).  There are times when we must bear sorrow.  It has been through my deepest sorrow that I have come to know the Lord on a deeper level and it has been that sorrow that has helped me see the true worth of the precious gift of Jesus’ shed blood.  My own personal sorrow has made me stronger and it has deepened my compassion for others.

As I walk down my path in life, I will meet many on the same journey that I am on.  God has sent me ahead of some of these so that I can shine His light on them as they go through the dark valley. 

What have you been through and how can you use these sorrows to bring glory and honor to the Lord?  How can you bless others by simply being someone that they can look to and see how the Lord has brought you through and in doing so, encourage them that the Lord will bring them through? 

If you are stuffing your sorrow down instead of growing through it and blessing others through, then you are missing out on a great blessing.  It might take stepping out of your comfort zone, but remember that God is the one who has set you on this path and you have the ability to make a positive difference in lives of others."

Lord Bless,

Dana